This website can help you stop harmful energy projects. We will show you how to contact the banks and companies behind a project, which policies guide their decisions and how best to influence them.Do investors really listen?

It's true that banks and companies don't give up business opportunities easily, but if they realise that a project is going to bring them endless problems, they do sometimes withdraw. Bankwatch and other organisations have had success in stopping European investors from financing environmentally and socially harmful projects.

In recent years, increasing interest from investors from outside Europe--especially China--has brought new challenges to raising environmental and social standards in southeast Europe and Turkey. On this website you find the help you need to influence investors' decisions on harmful projects.

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China Development Bank

The China Development Bank is one of China’s three state policy banks, and mainly supports the policies laid out in the State Council’s successive Five-Year Plans in areas such as electric power, roads, railways, petroleum and petrochemicals, coal, post and telecommunications and agriculture. Since 1999 the Chinese government has pursued a policy of ‘Going out’, encouraging its banks and companies to invest abroad, and this has led to the CDB and China ExIm Bank together lending more than World Bank. In the Western Balkans, the CDB has so far financed the Stanari lignite-fired power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ulog hydropower plant, also in BiH.

POLICIES

The CDB has its own environmental guidelines. In its 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility report it announced that it had introduced 142 performance indicators based on the United Nations Global Compact’s ten principles related to human rights, the environment, labour and corruption. These indicators are not publicly available, nevertheless some information about their contents is known:

An environmental impact assessment is required before the project starts

The project is reviewed by the bank

The project must comply with host country laws and regulations. Western Balkans projects financed by the CDB must also comply with EU law since these countries aspire to EU membership and already have some commitments under the Energy Community Treaty.

Ex-post environmental assessment (ie. after the project is finished) is required, to ascertain that the client fulfilled its commitments. This is particularly interesting as multilateral development banks do not request such an assessment.

CONTACTS

The China Development Bank does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

Since the banks are overseen by various state institutions, if you don’t receive any response from the banks, you may consider writing to some of the Chinese state institutions. For more information, contact CEE Bankwatch Network (kingsofcoal@bankwatch.org).

China Ex-Im Bank

China Ex-Im Bank is another of the huge policy banks owned by the Chinese government and enables trade and investment for Chinese firms by providing export credits to Chinese firms, loans for overseas construction and investment projects, and low-interest loans to foreign governments. In the region so far the China ExIm bank has been involved in the rehabilitation of the existing lignite plant at Kostolac in Serbia and plans to be involved in ‘Phase 2’ of this project, which involves the construction of a new unit, B3, at the site. The bank has also been involved in the Bushat hydropower plant in Albania and expressed interest in numerous other projects, for example the controversial Moraca dam in Montenegro, the tender for which however ultimately resulted in no bids being submitted.

POLICIES

The China ExIm Bank has its own environmental guidelines. Unfortunately the document is not publicly available, nevertheless some information is known:

An environmental impact assessment is required before the project starts, for projects of all sizes

The project is reviewed by the bank

The project must comply with host country laws and regulations.

Public consultations must take place with affected communities.

Disbursement of the money is dependent on compliance and the bank can halt financing for non-compliant projects

Ex-post environmental assessment (ie. after the project is finished). This is particularly interesting as multilateral development banks do not request such an assessment.

CONTACTS

The China ExIm Bank does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people, which still happens relatively rarely to Chinese banks and state institutions.

Since the banks are overseen by various state institutions, if you don’t receive any response from the banks, you may consider writing to some of the Chinese state institutions. For more information, contact CEE Bankwatch Network (kingsofcoal@bankwatch.org).

Commercial banks

Due to the unfavourable investment climate in south east Europe, most large-scale infrastructure projects need financing from public development banks, and commercial banks tend to see their participation as giving a signal that it is ‘safe’ for them to co-finance projects. However this is not necessarily the case in Turkey, where there is more involvement of commercial banks in infrastructure construction. Finding out which commercial banks are involved in a project can be very difficult, especially at an early stage before contracts are signed. Therefore we recommend contacting Banktrack, a network which is specialised in tracking and campaigning against commercial banks’ financing harmful projects. Banktrack may be able help establish which banks are planning to be involved and to how to prevent them from participating.

POLICIES

There are hundreds of commercial banks operating in southeast Europe and Turkey, so it is impossible to give an overview of their policies. Nevertheless there is a global standard for commercial banks called the Equator Principles which, at the time of writing, 79 banks have committed to follow and can be used as some kind of a standard by which to measure banks’ performance. The Equator Principles apply to project finance only (ie. when banks directly finance an infrastructure project), not for general corporate loans.

In addition, some banks have gone further when it comes to climate commitments. Banktrack has compiled some best practices of banks relating to climate, incuding coal investments. For the coal power sector, the most stringent policy to date is HSBC’s 2011 energy policy, which includes something called an Emissions Performance Standard (EPS) for power plants of 550g CO2/kWh. Coal plants today cannot meet this level, so this amounts to a commitment not to invest in coal plants. However, this only applies to developed countries. For developing countries, an EPS of 850g CO2/kWh applies. These standards are similar to the thermal efficiency thresholds adopted by other banks like BNP Paribas and Société Générale, of 43% and 38% respectively. 43% would be enough to prevent BNP Paribas financing any of the planned coal plants currently planned in the Western Balkan countries today and 38% would prevent financing for some of them, for example the Stanari plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to have a net efficiency level of 34.1%.

CONTACTS

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

The London-based EBRD was established in 1990 and started operations the following year. Its owners are the EU states plus the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and all recipient states. It was set up to aid the transition to market economies and multiparty democracy in the former Eastern Bloc, but since then it has expanded to include Mongolia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco. It is uniquely obliged by its mandate to pursue sustainable development in all its activities, however it has long been subject to civil society scrutiny for its part in various problematic projects. After its involvement in a series of controversial coal projects (PDF), in 2013 a positive step forward occurred when the bank announced in its Energy Strategy that it would finance greenfield coal power plants only in ‘rare and exceptional circumstances’. However the bank has still not publicly ruled out financing the highly controversial Kosovo C lignite plant, and is still considering coal projects that are not greenfield plants, such as rehabilitations, mining projects and other associated projects such as coal processing.

POLICIES

The EBRD, like other multilateral public banks, has its own set of policies on environmental and social standards and corruption. All its projects must be in line with these standards, which are based on EU standards but adjusted to suit the bank’s work. These include provisions on, for example, biodiversity protection and resettlement. Also, all EBRD projects must be in line with national legislation of the country where the project is situated. The bank has a public information policy which obliges it to answer requests for information usually within 20 working days, so you should get a response to your communication.

The EBRD’s staff often assess projects to see whether they meet the bank’s conditions long before the public knows that the bank is interested in the project. Once the bankers are relatively sure about the project, they are supposed to publish information about the projects in “project summary documents” on the EBRD website before the bank’s Board of Directors approves them. Sometimes other information such as an environmental impact assessment or procurement notices are also published earlier. The project summary document usually states when the project is due to be approved by the bank’s board of directors. You are more likely to convince the bank not to finance a project if you catch it at an early stage, so it is good to take a pro-active approach and ask the bank whether it has been requested to finance a project.

The EBRD has four official working languages: English, Russian, German and French, although English and Russian are the most common in practice, with French becoming more common with the bank’s expansion to North Africa. If you communicate in another language, it may be better to first contact the EBRD office in your country or contact Bankwatch (kingsofcoal@bankwatch.org) or another NGO to help you with the communication with the bank.

When you communicate with the EBRD, the bank is more likely to take your comments seriously if you can show that a project violates the bank’s environmental and social policy or its anti-corruption policies – Bankwatch may be able to help with this. Try to include clear evidence as much as possible and to show what sources of information you are using to support your arguments. If you are not sure about something, you should not hesitate to contact the bank, but better to ask questions than to make accusations straight away. In your communication, try to avoid general statements such as ‘there is corruption in this project’ or ‘this project damages the environment’ – rather explain in more detail why you think there is corruption or in what way the project will damage the environment. If you have a lot of points to make, think carefully how to structure the your communication so that the most important points are clear at the beginning. There is a danger that important points can be lost in a mass of information.

If you are not satisfied with the bank’s response to your questions or comments, there are several people in the bank whose task it is to deal with complaints. The Secretary General is responsible for the implementation of the Public Information Policy, while the Chief Compliance Officer is responsible for issues related to fraud or corruption. The European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF, is also able to investigate allegations of corruption related to the EBRD if a complaint to the Chief Compliance Officer does not bring adequate results.

If the EBRD Board of Directors goes ahead and approves a project which is not in compliance with the EBRD’s Environmental and Social Policy or the project-related provisions of the Public Information Policy, you can also submit an official complaint to the EBRD’s official Project Complaint Mechanism (PCM). This will not stop the project in itself, but it can result in recommendations about what should be done to rectify the problem. The PCM can undertake investigations to examine whether the bank has complied with its safeguard policies, or it can also act as a problem-solving mechanism, setting up mediation between affected people, the EBRD and the project company. This function is available in cases where affected people have tried to solve problems by contacting the company but where this has not been effective.

As for civil society organisations, the main umbrella organisation working on the EBRD is Bankwatch (main@bankwatch.org) and we can put you in touch with local partners or other NGOs with sectoral specialisations.

European Investment Bank

The Luxembourg-based EIB is the European Union’s house bank, owned by the EU member states, and aims to aid the implementation of EU policies. By annual lending volume it is bigger than even the World Bank. Most of its lending takes place within the EU and it usually finances projects larger than EUR 25 million or lends money through commercial banks when it wants to target smaller projects. But the EIB’s external lending mandate also allows it to finance projects across the world, and it is here that most controversies have arisen, as the bank has found itself out of its depth in projects such as the Bujagali dam etc. etc. Having made a major mistake by getting involved in the Sostanj lignite power plant project in Slovenia, in mid-2013 the bank took a significant step forward in its environmental performance by virtually halting its lending to coal projects. Therefore we do not consider it likely that the EIB will finance coal projects in the future, however it may be involved in other harmful projects.

For more information, see also the Counter Balance coalition’s Citizens’ Guide to the EIB available in English, Polish, Czech, Slovak, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Russian.

POLICIES

The EIB, like other multilateral public banks, has its own set of policies on environmental and social standards and fraud. Its Statement on Environmental and Social Principles and Standards is further explained in its Environmental and Social Practices Handbook. All its projects must be in line with these standards, which are based on EU standards but adjusted to suit the bank’s work. These include provisions on, for example, biodiversity protection and resettlement. Also, all EIB projects must be in line with national legislation of the country where the project is situated. The bank has a transparency policy which obliges it to answer requests for information usually within 15 working days, so you should get a response to your communication.

The EIB staff assesses projects to see whether they meet the bank’s conditions long before the public knows that the bank is interested in the project. Once the bankers are relatively sure about the project, they are supposed to publish information about the projects in project summaries on the EIB website before the bank’s board of directors approves them. Sometimes other information such as an environmental impact assessment is published earlier. Unlike the EBRD, the project summary doesn’t state when the project is due to be approved by the bank’s board of directors, however it is known that by the time a project summary is published, the project is in the latter stages of consideration, so you need to move very fast. You are more likely to convince the bank not to finance a project if you catch it at an early stage, so it is good to take a pro-active approach and ask the bank whether it has been requested to finance a project.

The EIB communicates mostly in English, French and German, but translates some key documents into all EU languages. If you communicate in another language, it may be better to contact Bankwatch (main@bankwatch.org) or another NGO to help you with the communication with the bank. The EIB has a few offices in its countries of operation, but not in every country.

When you communicate with the EIB, the bank is more likely to take your comments seriously if you can show that a project violates the bank’s environmental and social statement or its anti-corruption policies – Bankwatch may be able to help with this. Try to include clear evidence as much as possible and to show what sources of information you are using to support your arguments. If you are not sure about something, you should not hesitate to contact the bank, but better to ask questions than to make accusations straight away. In your communication, try to avoid general statements such as ‘there is corruption in this project’ or ‘this project damages the environment’ – rather explain in more detail why you think there is corruption or in what way the project will damage the environment. If you have a lot of points to make, think carefully how to structure the your communication so that the most important points are clear at the beginning. There is a danger that important points can be lost in a mass of information.

If you are not satisfied with the bank’s response to your questions or comments, the EIB has a Complaints Mechanism which you can appeal to. This will not stop the project in itself, but it can result in recommendations about what should be done to rectify the problem. After approaching the complaints office, the EU Ombudsman can also be approached regarding EIB operations if the problem can be presented as a case of ‘maladministration’.

If the problem is related to corruption or fraud it should not be reported to the Complaints Mechanism but to a separate body, the Inspectorate General. The European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF, is also able to investigate allegations of corruption related to the EIB if a complaint to the Inspectorate General does not bring adequate results.

Export credit agencies

Many countries have their own banks or other institutions which support companies in exporting their products abroad, called Export Credit Agencies (ECAs). ECAs provide loans, guarantees and insurance of exports for certain projects. China ExIm Bank is one such bank, however it was treated separately here due to its exceptional size and difficulty in accessing information about it or contacting its staff.

Some governments separate such activities into different institutions, so for example in Japan NEXI – Nippon Export and Investment Insurance – insures exports, including in the coal sector. In Germany, Euler Hermes is actually a private company rather than part of the government, but is officially mandated to provide export credit guarantees.

Due to their participation in some extremely controversial projects, ECAs are monitored by an international NGO network called ECA-Watch which also provides useful information about some of the individual ECAs.

If the Export Credit Agency or government bank is based in the EU, such as Euler Hermes or the Czech Export Bank, it should follow EU legislation, the legislation of its home country and the legislation of the host country, as well as the OECD’s Common Approaches. We recommend contacting ECA-Watch members for assistance in understanding the obligations of each individual ECA.

JBIC and NEXI have their own environmental policies (JBIC’s here, and NEXI’s here), which are very similar to one another. In some ways they are similar to the EBRD and IFC’s policies, dividing projects into several categories according to their likely environmental impact and requiring stricter assessment for those in higher categories. JBIC and NEXI provide some information (project name, place, categorization, and environmental impact assessment) during their environmental review before any decision of approval (JBIC here, and NEXI here). In other ways they are more stringent than the IFC and EBRD, for example stating that in principle, projects must take place outside of protected cultural or natural heritage areas, although the implementation of this provision could be improved.

Also the Environmental Impact Assessment for projects with a large environmental impact must systematically compare “feasible alternatives to the proposed project site, technology, design and operation including the “without project” situation in terms of their potential environmental impacts; the feasibility of mitigating these impacts; their capital and recurrent costs; their suitability under local conditions; and their institutional, training and monitoring requirements”. For each alternative, it has to quantify the environmental impacts to the extent possible, and attach economic values where feasible. The basis for selecting the particular project design proposed must be stated and justification offered for the recommended emission levels and approaches to pollution prevention and abatement. This is more concrete and elaborated than the EU Directive on environmental impact assessment for example, which only requires an explanation of the alternatives examined and the reason for the selected course of action.

Both the JBIC and NEXI have complaint mechanisms (see Contacts section). In principle these should be approached after one of the institutions already approved financing for a project that is not in compliance with their standards, however it can also be worth sending a complaint also before this happens so that the complaint mechanisms can alert the institutions to take action.

CONTACTS

If approaching one of the Export Credit Agencies, it is worth checking whether ECA Watch has a member group (under ‘About us’) in the relevant country who might give you some tips.

Some contacts for the most relevant ECAs that may back coal projects in southeast Europe and Turkey are:

JBIC
It is difficult to find out the exact person to write to, but this organization chart can at least give some ideas about which departments to approach.

If you write a letter to JBIC/NEXI, we recommend that the letter addresses the top management (the governor of JBIC/the Chairman of NEXI).

In the case of JBIC, you can also email such letter or any comments regarding environmental and social problems to kankyo-hairyo@jbic.go.jp (the official email address of the environmental division of JBIC.)

KfW, Germany

KfW banking group is Germany’s public bank which finances projects inside and outside the country. Through its subsidiaries KfW IPEX bank, DEG and KfW development bank it carries out international projects and is active in south east Europe and Turkey. It has been involved in a mixture of projects in southeast Europe, most controversially including the Kolubara mine improvement project with the EBRD. So far it has refused to stop financing coal, making it almost the only development bank operating in southeast Europe to continue doing so. A briefing by German NGO urgewald on KfW’s coal financing is available (PDF).

POLICIES

“For us, the minimum requirement is compliance with national law. To maintain appropriate environmental and social standards we orient ourselves on internationally recognised standards such as, for example, those of the EU, the World Bank Group (Safeguard Policies for public sector financing, IFC Performance Standards for private sector financing) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“For financings KfW Bankengruppe ensures that the local population is informed and involved in the context of the approval procedure, in particular in order to also maintain the special rights of indigenous peoples. We do not support projects that are likely to cause unacceptable environmental or social harm.”

Other Chinese banks

Although it is mostly the China Development Bank and China ExIm Bank which have been active in the region so far, there are also signs of interest from other banks.

One is the government-owned Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which expressed interest in the Pljevlja II project in Montenegro. This is the largest commercial bank in the world. A ranking of Chinese commercial banks by Chinese NGO Green Watershed finds that ICBC has been pro-active in developing its green credit policies and practices, but that it has not sufficiently developed its risk management when investing abroad and scores low on information disclosure. An example of the bank’s controversial projects is the controversial Gilgel Gibe III Dam (PDF) in Ethiopia.

The Bank of China is another government-owned commercial bank. It has not so far been active in south east Europe but it showed interest in the Jaworzno coal project in Poland, in which two Chinese companies were competing as sub-contractors until the main project sponsor Rafako chose Alstom instead in late 2013. It is also reported to have shown interest in the Pljevlja II lignite plant in Montenegro. Green Watershed’s ranking shows that the Bank of China falls behind its peers in terms of green credit policies and implementation.

POLICIES

CONTACTS

The ICBC and Bank of China do not have public grievance mechanisms and do not publish much information about their staff on their websites. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people, which still happens relatively rarely to Chinese banks and state institutions.

Since the banks are overseen by various state institutions, if you don’t receive any response from the banks, you may consider writing to some of the Chinese state institutions. For more information contact CEE Bankwatch Network by email: kingsofcoal@bankwatch.org

World Bank Group

The Washington-based World Bank Group, which is owned by 185 member countries, consists of five bodies:

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

The International Development Association (IDA) (these first two together are known as the “World Bank”, whereas the term World Bank Group refers to all five bodies). These first two carry out lending primarily to the public sector.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), which lends to the private sector

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), an arbitration body, and

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), which provides insurance against certain types of risk for the private sector.

The bank has financed thousands of projects of all sizes, including a number of highly controversial ones. Among the most controversial is Eskom’s enormous Medupi coal power plant in South Africa. In mid-2013 the World Bank announced its new Energy Directions paper which included a commitment to limit coal financing to ‘rare circumstances’. This means that we do not expect to see the bank engaged in a large number of coal projects, however so far the World Bank has refused to publicly step back from its plans to provide a partial loan guarantee for the Kosovo C plant, also expected to be supported by a loan from the IFC, so the Group cannot yet be seen as entirely coal-free.

In addition the World Bank Group is engaged in many other controversial activities, some involving infrastructure projects, but others connected with policy advice such as privatizations and cutting public spending.

The World Bank (IBRD+IDA) has country-specific information including the contacts of local offices on specific webpages that can be accessed through www.worldbank.org/countries
To see which projects it is carrying out in your country, see the bank’s Project Information Documents – first go to ‘Projects and Programs’, then ‘View All Projects’.

POLICIES

The World Bank (IBRD+IDA) is governed by Operational Policies concerning the environmental and social impacts of the bank’s projects. They can be accessed here.

The IFC has separate policies, called Performance Standards. These, along with the bank’s Access to Information Policy, can be accessed here.

Considering the complexity of these policies, it is advisable to contact someone who already has experience working on the World Bank Group to help you with better understanding your options.

If a policy has been violated or looks set to be violated, the World Bank Group has two independent mechanisms through which citizens harmed by the projects or policies funded by the WBG can seek recourse: the Inspection Panel and the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO).

The Inspection Panel is a three-member body with a permanent secretariat, housed at the Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC. It can deal only with the bank’s failures to apply its policies in projects financed by the IDA or IBRD.

The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman oversees the IFC and MIGA. While the Inspection Panel only investigates whether the Bank has violated its own policies, the CAO has a broader mandate and can play a problem-solving role and an advisory role to IFC/MIGA management.

Although both the CAO and the Inspection Panel are part of the World Bank Group they are both considered to be independent because they are not connected to the management of the Group. The Inspection Panel reports to the World Bank Board of Directors while the CAO reports directly to the World Bank Group President. However, as with all complaint mechanisms at the international financial institutions the CAO and the Inspection Panel have their limitations, and should be used also in conjunction with other strategies such as national-level legal work, media campaigns etc.

The IFC’s Disclosure Policy Advisor position was established in 2006 to help the public with information requests. Ironically for someone tasked with increasing accessibility and transparency, the Advisor’s online contact form is only functioning with Internet Explorer at the time of writing…

China Environmental Energy Holdings

Unlike most of the Chinese companies that have taken an interest in southeast Europe, CEE Holdings is active mostly outside of China, and has its headquarters in Hong Kong. It is a private company, said to be owned by its managing director, Billy Ngok, who is also known for having bought the Sergio Tacchini clothes label in 2008. It invests in all kinds of energy, from exploration and production of oil and gas, through the construction of power plants of all kinds, to hi-tech production for electricity storage and solar film. It explicitly lists southern Europe (eg. Italy and Serbia) as one of its main investment areas, and so far has taken interest in several projects. It was reported to be interested in Pljevlja II in Montenegro, but did not reach an advanced stage of the selection process, and in October 2011 was part of a consortium with Shenzhen Energy that signed a deal with Serbian electricity company Elektroprivreda Srbije for the construction of a new unit at the Nikola Tesla B3 lignite plant at Obrenovac. However the project remains at an early stage. It is also reported to be interested in a new coal plant project in Sardinia.

POLICIES

As a company registered in Hong Kong, CEE Holdings is subject to quite a different set of legislations than other Chinese companies, since Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China. It may therefore be best to concentrate on holding the company accountable to EU standards when it is operating in EU accession countries.

CONTACTS

Although its website suggests it has a branch in Belgrade, so far we have not managed to locate it. CEE Holdings does however have an office in Italy:

CEE Holdings
Via Liberta 215
28043 Bellinzago Novarese,
Italy

Its main address in Hong Kong is:

33/F., Far East Finance Centre,
16 Harcourt Road, Admiralty
Hong Kong

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

China Huadian Engineering Co.

CHEC is part of the China Huadian Corporation, said to be one of the largest state-owned power generation enterprises, and is involved in contracting in various sectors such as electric power, metallurgy, mining and new energy engineering (biomass/biogas, solar, wind, small-scale hydro and coal bed methane). It has signed a preliminary agreement with the Romanian government for the construction of a new unit at Rovinari lignite power plant in Romania.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that CHEC should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

CHEC does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

CMEC

CMEC is a subsidiary of the state-owned giant China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH), the 326th largest company in the world in 2013. CMEC mainly undertakes contracting in engineering projects in the power, transport and telecommunications sectors. CMEC has already been involved in the ZETES 2 1200 MW coal power plant project at Çatalağzı in Turkey, and is now undertaking a rehabilitation and installation of desulphurisation equipment at the Kostolac power plant in Serbia, which is expected to be followed by the construction of a new 350 MW unit, B3.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that CMEC should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

CMEC does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

CNEEC

CNEEC is a large state-owned enterprise 100 percent owned by Sinomach and working mainly as a contractor or project manager in the energy field. It undertakes projects in thermal (mainly coal) generation of up to 600 MW, hydropower and transmission. CNEEC is one of the companies which expressed interest in the Pljevlja II lignite plant in Montenegro. In November 2013 its representatives also signed a deal with the Hunedoara Energy Complex for the implementation of pollution control measures at the Deva thermal power plant in Romania. In January 2014 it was announced that CNEEC had opened an office in Ub in Serbia and that the company is interested in several energy projects such as the Kolubara B lignite plant and associated Radljevo mine, the Djerdap 3 dam, and several small hydropower projects. This announcement came as something of a surprise, as Italy’s Edison, owned by France’s EDF, has already won the concession for the project.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that CNEEC should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

CNEEC does not have a formal public grievance mechanism, however it does have a feedback form on its website. However this has not yet been tested extensively and it may be a good idea to send faxes and hard copies of letters as a back-up.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant people to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

Dongfang

Dongfang is a large state-owned enterprise specialising in producing and installing equipment for electricity projects in coal, gas, nuclear, hydropower, wind, solar and transmission, as well as other projects such as rail. DEC plays various roles, sometimes only supplying the equipment, sometimes installing it as well, and sometimes taking a share in the project company. Dongfang is most known in southeast Europe as the main contractor and equipment supplier for the Stanari lignite power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is also participating in the Ulog hydropower project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was the main equipment supplier for the Zetes II plant in Turkey.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that Dongfang should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

Dongfang does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

Edison/EDF Group

Edison S.p.A., not to be confused with the US’s Edison International, is part of Electricité de France (EDF Group) and is involved in the procurement, production and marketing of electric power, natural gas and crude oil. In 2012 it accounted for nearly 8 percent of Italy’s electricity production, mainly from gas thermal power plants, but also from some hydropower and new renewables facilities. Looking at the company’s website, there is hardly a mention of coal, but Edison has a concession for the development of the Kolubara B lignite power plant in Serbia and is one of the shortlisted bidders for the Plomin C coal plant in Croatia.

POLICIES

As an EU-based company, it can be argued that Edison should comply with EU and national legislation wherever it operates. Edison also has its own Environmental, Safety and Quality Policy, which commits to respect ‘current laws concerning quality, safety and the environment’, and also to optimise the resources used, adopting the best technologies available and promoting the use of renewable sources to minimise the environmental impact, particularly with regard to emissions of gases that are harmful to human health and the environment. The policy also commits to maintaining a dialogue with the authorities and the host communities and cooperating with public institutions, guaranteeing the utmost fairness and transparency in all exchanges and providing complete, reliable and clear information.

CONTACTS

Edison has offices in several countries including Romania and Turkey. The contact details can be found here, however the list is not complete as for example the address of the Croatian office is not listed, so it is worth doing an internet search to see if there is an office in your country too.

Gezhouba Group

Gezhouba is a subsidiary of the state-owned enterprise China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd (CEEC) which operates in various sectors including construction, expressway management, cement production, civil blasting, real estate, finance, hydropower, and coal. Its most famous project is the massive Three Gorges Dam project in China, and the company’s main emphasis is hydropower. However Gezhouba has taken an interest in coal projects in southeast Europe, and has been confirmed as one of the builders of the Tuzla 7 in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as having expressed interest in Pljevlja II in Montenegro. In addition, in early 2013 the Serbian government signed a protocol with Gezhouba on the Morava Canal mega-project that if implemented would join the Aegean Sea with the Danube via the Morava and Vardar rivers.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that Gezhouba should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

Gezhouba does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

Harbin Electric International (HEI)

HEI is a subsidiary of state-owned enterprise Harbin Electric Group. It is mainly a supplier of equipment and a contractor for the construction of thermal power plants, hydropower plants, combined-cycle power plants and wind power plants as well as substations and transmission lines. The company has been very active in Turkey. On Jan 23, 2013 an engineering, procurement and construction deal was signed for the ZETES III 2X660MW coal power plant in Çatalağzı between HEI and Eren Enerji Elektrik Üretim A.Ş (EREN).

In May 2013 the Turkish government reported on a deal between HEI and Hattat Holding worth USD 2.4 billion for the construction of 2640 MW in coal thermal power plants in the Amasra area.

On December 5, 2013, Harbin and Turkey’s HIDRO-GEN Enerji Ithalat Ihracat Dagitim Ve Ticaret A.S. also signed a contract for the design, procurement, and installation guidance of the Soma 2X255MW Coal-fired Power Plant Project in Ankara, Turkey.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that Powerchina should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

HEI does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

Hitachi

Hitachi is a well-known global company covering a wide variety of fields including electronics, construction machinery and rail transportation. Looking at its global and European website there is hardly any hint that it might be involved in coal power plant construction – rather it appears to be involved in nuclear power and renewable energy. However Hitachi is one of the shortlisted bidders for the Tuzla 7 lignite power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and through a joint subsidiary with Mitsubishi – Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe GmbH– the company has been involved in some coal projects in the EU, including Walsum 10 in Germany, Kozienice 11 in Poland and Ptolemaida V in Greece.

POLICIES

Hitachi has a set of environmental guidelines and action plans that can be quoted in communication with the company. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

CONTACTS

Given the size of Hitachi globally, it is not easy to find the right department in the company. The company has Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) division that deals with inquiries from the public. The online text-only inquiry form can be filled, note however there is a 2,000 character limit (with spaces) which considerably reduces your option in communicating fully the breadth and depth of your concerns. Therefore it is worth sending a hard copy or fax of a letter as well in order to make sure it gets through.

It may also be useful to contact Japanese NGO network Kikonet (tokyo@kikonet.org) in order to better be able to target your communication towards the company.

Istroenergo

Istroenergo is a privately-owned Slovak company active in the planning and construction of coal, gas and biomass power plants. It is active mainly in Slovakia and the Czech Republic but also has an office in Russia and is one of the shortlisted bidders for the Pljevlja II project in Montenegro.

POLICIES

As an EU-based company, Istroenergo should act in accordance with EU legislation and the legislation of the host country.

CONTACTS

Marubeni

Marubeni is a large globally-spread Japanese company spread over various sectors including food, chemicals, energy, finance, metals and minerals, transport machinery and industrial equipment. Although Europe does not seem to be a major focus area for the company, it is one of the shortlisted bidders in the Plomin C coal power plant project in Croatia.

POLICIES

Marubeni has its own environmental policy and is a member of the UN Global Compact, a system in which companies voluntarily commit to abide by a number of principles and to report annually on their implementation. In addition, the company has to abide by host country laws and when operating in potential EU countries, should also act according to EU legislation.

CONTACTS

As a large global company it is not easy to locate the relevant Marubeni department. However for electricity generation projects in southeast Europe, try the contacts opposite.

It may also be useful to contact Japanese NGO network Kikonet (email tokyo@kikonet.org) in order to better be able to target your communication towards the company.

Power Construction Corporation of China – Powerchina

Powerchina is a large state-owned enterprise and is the owner of the more well-known Sinohydro as well as Hydrochina Corporation, China Renewable Energy Engineering Institute and numerous electric power design institutes and power construction companies. Powerchina’s areas of interest include hydropower, wind power, thermal power, expressway concessions and water treatment plants.

One of the design institutes owned by Powerchina is the Hubei Electric Power Survey & Design Institute, which is one of the shortlisted bidders for the Pljevlja II lignite plant in Montenegro. Sinohydro was also interested in the controversial Moraca dam in Montenegro but dropped out in December 2010, before the tender deadline, however it is involved in contracting for the Ulog hydropower plant in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

POLICIES

In 2013, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection issued the Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation. These Guidelines are not legally binding but can be quoted as a policy that Powerchina should act in line with. In addition, while doing business in the EU or potential EU countries, it can be argued that companies should act in line with EU legislation.

Powerchina’s Sinohydro subsidiary can be considered a leader in developing company-level environmental policy. Its commitments include avoiding certain no-go zones such as national parks, World Heritage-listed sites, habitats of threatened species, and RAMSAR-listed wetlands. Such a commitment, if properly implemented, is stronger than that of institutions like the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. For more information about Sinohydro’s environmental policy, see here. In Janary 2014 Sinohydro officially announced the creation of a Compliance Programme, with a dedicated department and Executive Vice President appointed to ensure its implementation.

CONTACTS

Powerchina does not have a public grievance mechanism and does not publish much information about its staff on its website. Therefore getting in touch is not easy: you need to send faxes and hard copies of letters.

For more information on the appropriate style to use when contacting Chinese banks and institutions, see here.

It is usually difficult to find out the relevant person to contact, so first look for some clues in the media coverage of the project or the particular office of the bank in question. For the Chinese headquarters, if you cannot find a specific person connected to the project or the region where the project is situated, write to the most senior people listed on the website.

You should not expect to receive an answer quickly, if at all. This can be discouraging, however do not underestimate the impact of receiving letters from local groups or affected people.

While you are in the process of contacting companies that are involved in investment projects of your interest, you may wish to communicate to the Chamber of Commerce or bilateral/regional trade associations in your respective country to learn about the companies’ activities and locate the relevant point of contact.

Skoda Praha

Skoda Praha is owned by Czech electricity company CEZ, which is in turn nearly 70% owned by the Czech state. Skoda Praha is active in the engineering, procurement and construction of thermal and nuclear power plants. CEZ has had a relatively painful experience in the Western Balkans, having left Albania in 2013 after a failed privatisation of electricity distributor OSSH. The company also left Bosnia and Herzegovina after a lengthy dispute with the Republika Srpska entity in relation to the construction of the Gacko 2 lignite power plant. This makes it surprising that Skoda Praha is still willing to seek its fortune in the region, but nevertheless it is one of the shortlisted bidders for the Pljevlja II lignite plant in Montenegro.

POLICIES

As an EU-based company, Skoda Praha should act in accordance with EU legislation and the legislation of the host country.

CONTACTS

Skoda Praha is the most pro-active of the companies listed here when it comes to public relations. In Montenegro it even went as far as offering free trips to the plant it refurbished in Tusmice in the Czech Republic. Therefore it is not so much a challenge of getting in touch with the company, but rather in ensuring that the public gains a balanced view of its activities.

About this site

This site was created by CEE Bankwatch Network. The Network works across the central and eastern European region to monitor the activities of international financial institutions and propose constructive environmental and social alternatives to the policies and projects they support.

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